Sleeping bag too roomy/cold – Mods?

You could put some down clothing on the bag to fill space.

Yeah – all the extra clothing that I have goes in the bag to take up space.  I lay the down sweater over me,  but then it is cold between the jacket and the inside of the bag, so if I move at all the cold air gets me again.

You cinch the hood closed? What pad are you using?

I cinch the hood tightly so that only my nose/mouth are out.  The hood closes very tightly.  There is no draft collar on the neck, so I usually snake 1 of my extra layers (maybe an R1, or Atom Light) around my neck as a thick draft collar to make sure no air escapes.  The area around my neck always seems warm, it is more around my core and legs that is cold.

I use the Neo-Air XLite (backpacking) or a 2.5″ REI brand pad (car-camping).

Like Ken (KT), I’m thinking that this might be a sleeping pad issue (or a metabolic issue).  I also have a FF women’s 20F bag (long length), and I find it toasty-warm 98% of the time, even into the mid-20Fs. I pair it with a Synmat UL, which is enough R-value for me (probably you’d need a warmer option).

Occasionally, I just *can’t get warm* for a while, but I suspect that’s a case of not having eaten enough combined with being overexerted.  Usually that feeling passes within about 30 minutes.

Hmm, the NeoAir Xlite has an R-Value of 3.9 and the REI Camp Pad is 5.8.  When I’m car-camping, it would usually mean that I have eaten well and probably have extra clothes in the bag, and I have this problem even car camping.

Are you able to bend your knees up to your chest inside your FF bag?  Basically, it is large enough for me to slide my legs inside the bag into the fetal position, and not bending the entire bag.  Both legs bent is snug, one leg is easy – so I can bring a foot up and adjust my socks.

In general I am not a cold person in life, and my (male) mate often complains that I am too hot for spooning when we sleep.   I don’t  feel like I am a cold sleeper, but maybe I am looking for a problem with my gear when it is actually me.  It comes from a lifetime of trying to find packs to fit a 14″ torso, AT boots for size 5 foot, etc.

How’s your caloric intake before bed too? You’re small, but not tiny.

Haha – I agree! Small, but not tiny – so why do gear companies overlook the under 5’4″ crowd so much? There are lots of women my size :)

I feel this way in my sleeping bag in a wide range of situations, where I wouldn’t necessarily be over exerted and underfed.  I also want to stress that this is the warmest bag I have had, and I attribute that to the length being more appropriate, but it seems like I don’t warm up the inside of it. In my older 20 degree bags I could not go below 40, which I felt was due to the vast interior space, especially at the feet.

A few weeks ago I skied the Hotlum-Wintun on Mt. Shasta.  Before bed at highcamp (10400′)  I ate a 640 calorie Mountain House, a package of Ramen noodles, drank hot tang, and nibbled some chocolate.  That is more than 1000 calories, and included fat and protein.  It was below freezing, but didn’t seem that frigid because I left the tent in the night for the bathroom and it wasn’t bad outside in my tights and cap 4 top.

I’m 5’5″, 130-135 lbs — so fairly similar height:weight ratio to you.  Yes, I can (barely) get both legs up inside my FF; one leg up is easy (and comfy — that’s how I often sleep).  I assume you’re wearing a hat?  I sleep in long johns (powerstretch bottoms and merino top) and a fleece hat.  I also find that my degree of warmness varies throughout the night — sometimes I feel too hot, and have to unzip a bit; other times I feel a bit cold and cinch the drawstring a bit tighter.

If you want an ultra-narrow bag, try Z-packs in the “regular” width, but note that you’ll need a 0F or 10F bag to equal the proportion of down fill that FF uses.  And make sure that you order it long enough, or you’ll be cold.

Maybe you need a FF 10F FF (or a 0F) to camp in the 20Fs…Maybe you’re just not as warm a sleeper as you believe yourself to be! :^)

Perhaps you are right and it is just my body because it does sound like your FF bag fits you similarly, and that you don’t have the feeling of cold air washing over you from parts of your bag where you are not.

My mom who is quite waif-ish (5’5″ 105lb) and is always cold in waking hours when I am not has a Go-lite sleeping bag.  It has a very slim profile in the lower body, she cannot reach a foot at all while it is zipped.  Anyway, I went on a backpacking trip with my parents recently and she was fine, I was cold.  That was one of the events that made me wonder if the roomier cut of the FF contributed.  I should have asked to switch bags with her!

And yes, a fleece hat and wool socks.  I sleep in long underwear bottoms and top.